Magnification sweet spot for loupes/hand lenses? (1 Viewer)

[matt green]

What’s your preferred option for general nature observation?

Recently been carrying a plastic hand lense around in my pocket whenever I go for a walk, nothing flash but for a 5x bottle glass lense in a plastic handle it does produce a nice bright sharp, easy on the eye image of beetles and such like..I also have an opticron doublet 10x, lovely image but quite twitchy to focus when compared to the 5x.

Thoughts welcomed!

Matt

 

[Mono]

I'm split, if you are kneeling on the ground looking at things in situ then 5x is great as it gives you more positional flexibility. However if you are picking things up and viewing objects in the hand then 10x gives you that much more detail. Maybe not the answer you are after!

 

[Scott98]

These are my favorites - mostly used for gardening - 4x simple lens and 7x loupe - I have the 10x loupe too, but the 7x is much easier to use - nice optics in these and supposedly USA-made, real glass lenses:

Bausch & Lomb Folding Pocket Magnifier 81-23-54 4x

Bausch & Lomb Folding Pocket Magnifier 81-23-54 Offers A Single Lens With 4x Magnification.

www.aaaindustrialsupply.com

(good firestarter too)

Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplet Magnifier 81-61-68 7x

Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplet Magnifier 81-61-68 Incorporates 3 Separate Lenses And Provides 7x Magnification.

www.aaaindustrialsupply.com

 

[tehri]

Excuses me, Matt, i don't understand what you mean here : ' nothing flash but for a 5x bottle glass lense in a plastic hand it does produce a nice bright sharp, easy on the eye image '.... It must be a stupid question, translation, etc, but here i don't understand 'in a plastic hand '...
Thx.

 

[Trinovid]

...I also have an opticron doublet 10x, lovely image but quite twitchy to focus when compared to the 5x.

For viewing away from the face, lower magnification is the best. My personal favorite loupe is a 14x Hastings triplet, but it's not good for anything you're not going to be able to view at extremely close ranges. I've been thinking of getting another simple 3-5x magnifying glass like I always carried when I was a kid.

 

[matt green]

Excuses me, Matt, i don't understand what you mean here : ' nothing flash but for a 5x bottle glass lense in a plastic hand it does produce a nice bright sharp, easy on the eye image '.... It must be a stupid question, translation, etc, but here in don't understand 'in a plastic hand '...
Thx.

Apologies!

See edit, I should have typed ‘handle’

Matt

 

[matt green]

I'm split, if you are kneeling on the ground looking at things in situ then 5x is great as it gives you more positional flexibility. However if you are picking things up and viewing objects in the hand then 10x gives you that much more detail. Maybe not the answer you are after!

Thanks, yes good point regarding use!

Typically I’m looking at things in the hand, often times insect folk choose to land about my person while scrambling through woodland glades or grassy fields etc and nice to put the birding to one side and enjoy watching a shield bug or spider etc crawling up and down my finger. In the summer months it has been known for me to lie flat on my chest in the leaf litter and just watch whatever happens to scuttle past..though much easier to do this with the 4x or even just my reading specs!

Thanks all for the replies

Matt